Apparatus for wrapping



Deals, 1970 we! 3,547,737

APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING Filed April 19. 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 f7 urn/me. Vmmm V14" iz/M" fikr/zr United States Patent O 3,547,737 APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING Verecondo Vici, 3655 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60651 Filed Apr. 19, 1968, Ser. N0. 722,684 Int. Cl. B65b 27/10 US. Cl. 156-468 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method and apparatus for wrapping articles from a source of continuous wrapping material. It may be applied to a multitude of end uses such as the wrapping of bottles, packages or boxes of an elongated nature, or bundles of wire. Nearly any flexible wrapping material may be used, although efiicient operation can be achieved by using wrapping material in continuous strip form 011 a reel.

Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for automatically wrapping articles with flexible strip material.

Another object is to provide a method and apparatus for automatically wrapping articles with flexible strip material in which the initial increment of wrap is performed while the wrapping material is in a continuous strip form, severing of the wrapping material occurring only after wrapping has begun.

Another object is to provide a method and apparatus for automatically wrapping articles with flexible strip material as described above in which strip material which is to form the succeeding wrap is partially payed off from a source of said material during the next preceding wrapping action.

Yet another object is to provide a method and apparatus for automatically wrapping articles with flexible strip material in which the article to be wrapped is maintained substantially bodily stationary during wrapping.

Yet a further object is to provide a method and apparatus for automatically wrapping articles with flexible strip material in which placement of the article in position to commence wrapping nests the article in the wrapping material, and withdrawal of the wrapped article automatically positions the newly formed end portion of the source material in the correct position preparatory to the next succeeding nesting and wrapping operation.

Yet another object is to provide a method and apparatus for automatically wrapping articles with flexible strip material in which the length of the section of Wrapping material which forms the wrap can be easily varied by relocation of a single operative part.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the following drawings in which FIG. 1 is a top plan view;

FIG. 2 is a side view;

3,547,737 Patented Dec. 15, 1970 FIG. 3 is a side view with parts omitted and others broken away for clarity;

FIG. 4 is a detailed view to an. enlarged scale;

FIG. 5 is a view taken substantially along the line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a detailed view with parts broken away illustrating particularly the jaw means; and

FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10 diagrammatically illustrate the wrapping action of the invention.

Like reference numerals will be used to refer to like or similar parts from figure to figure throughout the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A hand model of the wrapping mechanism has been illustrated in the figures. It will be understood, however, that such a model has been chosen for illustration only since the invention can be modified and applied, within the skill of the art, to stationary constructions, such as bench models.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, in which the invention is illustrated in the form it may take for the purpose of wrapping bundles of wires, a housing is indicated generally at 10. The housing includes a handle section 11 and sideplates 12 and 13. A spool holding bracket is indicated at 14 and a source of continuous strip wrapping material, in this instance conventional electricians tape, is indicated at 15. A guide roller is indicated at 16, the purpose of which is to ensure that the payed out portion 17 of the tape lies flat in guide groove 18, see FIG. 4, on slideway 19.

A free end portion of the tape is indicated at 20, and a flexible hold-down spring or other mechanism at 21, the spring being attached to a bracket 22 which is secured to the housing.

A trigger mechanism is indicated generally at 24, and a motor at 25.

In FIG. 3 the left sideplate 13 has been removed to more clearly illustrate the trigger mechanism 24, the power train 26, and the wrapping and severing assembly 27. This latter assembly is illustrated in greater detail in FIGS. 4 through 6 to which reference is now made.

The wrapping and severing assembly 27 includes an article receiving member or cutter spool 29 which rotates in a stationary yoke structure or crown 30. Yoke 30 includes a barrel portion 31 and a flange 32 by which it is connected to nose section 33. The nose terminates in an outer tip or lip 34' which forms an extended portion of the maw within which an article to be wrapped is placed. As can best be visualized from FIGS. 4 and 6, the receiving member 29 and the yoke structure 30 each have an opening therein which, when the members are in the position of FIG. 4, substantially overlap one another to form an opening into which the article to be Wrapped may be placed. Sideplate 13 has a similar opening which is substantially coextensive with the generally radial openings in the cutter spool and yoke. The seat or bight formed in the sideplate 13 opening forms a stationary abutment against which an article to be wrapped may be held during wrapping.

The interior surface or bore of barrel portion 31 of yoke 30 has a constant radius with respect to the horizontal axis of the yoke, except for the recess 35 which is formed along a short arcuate distance, the internal surface of which is located at a greater radial distance from the axis of the crown than is the remaining portion of the internal surface. A cutter or anvil. is indicated at 36 at the terminal area of recess 35 as viewed in a counterclockwise direction.

The receiving member or cutter spool 29 has a barrel portion 38, the outer surface of which is adapted to be rotatably and slidably received within the bore 37 formed Within yoke 30. Preferably barrel portion 38 terminates in a flange 39 which is received in a complementary recess 40 in the yoke or crown structure 30. The exterior surface 41 of the cutter spool barrel portion 38 has a cutting edge or cutter formed therein as indicated best at 42 in FIG. 7. The exterior of barrel portion 38 is cut away as at 43 to provide a tape receiving recess, the use of which will be described hereinafter. A plate 44 having a generally U-shaped opening is coextensive with the opening in the yoke and cutter spool, said plate being bolted to the body structure by any suitable means.

Flange 39 extends outwardly from left sideplate section 45 and a cutter gear 46 is bolted thereto.

Jaw means for retaining an article to be wrapped are indicated best in FIG. 6. The jaw means in this instance comprise a pair of jaw members 47, 48 which are pivotally secured as by pivot pins 49, 50 between end plates 45 and 45a of the cutter spool. A pair of jaw springs are indicated at 51, 52 respectively, the purpose of which is to force jaw members 47, 48 into the position indicated in FIG. 6. The jaw members may be made of any suitable material, although in this instance a plastic material such as Teflon or Delrin has been illustrated.

It will be understood that in operation the cutter spool 29 rotates within the stationary yoke structure or crown 30. A suitable mechanism for rotating the cutter spool is indicated best in FIGS. 1 and 3.

The motor 25 is connected to a suitable power source by lead 53. Operation of the motor is controlled by a microswitch assembly 54, which in turn is actuated by a switch arm 55. Switch arm 55 is in turn actuated by dog 56 which is controlled by the finger trigger 57 in the trigger mechanism. Thus, when trigger 57 is pulled, trigger mechanism 24 is rotated about shaft 58, dog 56 is swung in a clockwise direction and thus into contact with microswitch arm 55 and out of contact with cam 65.

The power train 26 for transmitting power from motor 25 to cutter spool 29 includes a large gear 60 which is rotatable with motor power shaft 61. Gear 60 meshes with pinion 62 which in turn meshes with planetaries 63, 64. Planetaries 63, 64 in turn mesh with cutter gear 46 which is integral with the cutter spool 29.

The mechanism for terminating operation of motor 25 and therefore rotation of shaft 61, includes motor cam 65 which is integral with motor shaft 61, and therefore large gear 60. The cam is aligned with dog 56, and, since the motor causes shaft 61 to rotate in a clockwise direction, dog 56 will prevent rotation of the motor when it is in the position illustrated in FIG. 3. Assuming, however, that the dog has been raised by depression of trigger 57, and the motor therefore actuated by microswitch 54, rotation of the cam is controlled by trip pin 66 which projects outwardly from the surface of cam 65. Trip pin 66 is aligned with feeler or stop link 67 which is pivotally mounted at at 68 to the trigger mechanism 24. When trip pin 66 strikes stop link 67 as the cam 65 rotates clockwise, dog 56 is caused to drop downwardly onto the cam surface of cam 65. When the dog 56 drops out of contact from plunger 55, microswitch 54 shuts off the motor. The inertia of the motor will continue to rotate the cam and power mechanism until dog 56 engages abutment 69.

It will be understood that the U-shaped depressions formed in left sideplate 13 and plate 44, indicated at 71, 72'and 75 in left sideplate 13, form a seat into which the article to be wrapped may be nested. Thus, even though the cutter spool 29 and jaw members 47, 48 may be rotated, the article to be wrapped is held axially stationary and, depending upon the seating force exerted on the article, substantially completely bodily stationary as well.

Although one specific form of power mechanism for rotating cutter spool 29 has been illustrated and described in some detail, it will be understood that any suitable mechanism may be employed, and the illustrated embodiment is illustrative in nature only.

The use and operation of the invention are as follows:

Reference is made to FIGS. 2 and 7 through 10 inclusive.

In FIG. 2, the mechanism is shown in position ready to receive an article to be wrapped. Free end portion 20 of the tape bridges the maw of the U-shaped slot formed by sides or retaining edges 71, 72 in left sideplate 13, with the free or cut end 73 of the tape (see FIG. 2) resting on the upper flat surface of the tip 34.

An article to be wrapped, in this instance a bundle of wires 74, is pressed downwardly in a generally radial direction with respect to the cutter spool 29. In this condition, which is illustrated in FIG. 7, the sticky or adhesive side of the tape which is indicated at 76 contacts three or four of the individual wires in the bundle of wires 74 which prevents slippage of the tape with respect to the article to be wrapped.

When trigger 57 is squeezed, dog 56 is pivoted clockwise about shaft 58 thereby depressing plunger 55 and causing motor 25 to be operated by microswitch 54. Operation of the motor rotates shaft 61 in a clockwise direction. The cutter spool 29 is therefore rotated in a counterclockwise direction by virtue of power train 26, the operation of which can be visualized from the arrows in FIG. 3.

In the first increment of movement of cutter spool 29, tape from supply 15 is payed out because the lip 77 of cutter spool 29 drags the tape in a clockwise direction from supply spool 15 since the free end portion 20 is in nonslipping contact with approximately degrees of circumference of the article to be wrapped.

In the next increment of movement the tape is severed or cut by the passage of rotating cutter 42 past stationary anvil or cutter 36. The positions of the rotating cutter 42 and anvil 36 just prior to and just subsequent to the cutting or severing of the tape is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 respectively.

Continued movement of the cutter spool 29 wraps the now severed portion of the tape about the article to be wrapped until the wrap is completed as illustrated in FIG. 10.

It will be understood that the newly formed free end 78 of the tape continues to lie in the recess 35 until the wrapped article is removed as in FIG. 10. The radially outward movement of the wrapped article pulls the free end 78 out of recess 35 and, after clearance of the wrapped article, the free end drops back against the flat upper surface of tip 34 as indicated in FIG. 2.

The length of tape which is wrapped about the article may be varied at will by merely varying the placement of cutter or anvil 36. Thus, the further forward, that is in a clockwise direction, the anvil 36 is placed with respect to cutter spool 29, the longer will be the severed wrapping portion of the continuous tape.

It will be further observed that tape 15 is not severed by cutter 42 and anvil .36 until the desired amount of tape has been payed out from the source 15. Only at that time is tape 15 severed, a substantial part of the wrapping action having already taken place.

Because of the inset portion 43, which is recessed a distance equal to the thickness of the tape, there will be no binding between the cutter spool 29 and the crown 30 during that portion of the rotation of the cutter spool in which the trailing end of the severed portion of the tape is present therein. Obviously, by the time cutter spool 29 reaches approximately the four oclock position in its travel, the severed portion of the tape will have been wrapped about the article to the extent that the severed, unwrapped, free end 73a lies within the opening in the cutter spool.

Alhough a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will at once be apparent to those skilled in the art that the various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be interpreted solely by the scope of the hereafter appended claims when construed in light of the pertinent prior art.

I claim: 1. Apparatus for wrapping articles from a source of continuous strip material, said apparatus including a yoke structure having an opening therein for reception of an article to be wrapped, said yoke structure being in the form of a barrel and having a first cutting means stationarily located on the inner surface of said barrel, rotatable receiving structure having an opening therein for the reception of an article'to be wrapped, said rotatable receiving structure being disposed within said yoke structure and having a second cutting means, said yoke structure and said receiving structure being operatively associated with one another whereby the aforesaid openings are at least partially coextensive and the aforesaid cutting means are cooperable to sever said wrapping material therebetween during rotation by said receiving structure, means for rotating said receiving structure to effect in substantially one full revolution firstly, the pay-out of Wrapping material from said source during an initial increment of wrapping movement prior to operation of the cutting means, secondly, the cutting of said material during a second increment of wrapping movement, and thirdly, the completion of wrapping of the article with the severed section of wrapping material during the final increment of said revolution. 2. The apparatus of claim .1 further including jaw means for maintaining an article to be wrapped in a substantially axially fixed position,

said jaw means being located within the receiving member. 3. The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized in that the jaw means is carried by and rotatable with the receiving member. 4. The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized in that firstly, the receiving structure is rotatable in a direction to pull strip Wrapping material from the source during the initial increment of rotation, and secondly, the receiving member and yoke structure are formed to provide a clearance therebetween up to the first cutting means of a depth and width sufficient to receive the wrapping material. 5. The apparatus of claim 4 further characterized in that the openings in the receiving member and yoke structure are generally radially oriented slots, and further including means for terminating rotation of the receiving member after one revolution, and in a position, with respect to the yoke structure, in which the slots are substantially coextensive whereby articles can be moved into and out of wrapping position along a generally radial path of movement.

12/1968 Sejda 156486X 5/1962 Cloots 53389X r THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner N. ABRAMS, Assistant Examiner U.S. C1. XR. 

